Healthcare Reform Round One: Learn More About Meaningful Use

Federal incentive payments worth approximately $150 million to Connecticut's hospitals will become available as early as 2011, thanks to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), if the hospitals become meaningful users of certified electronic health records (EHR) technology, report certain quality measures, and exchange patient data with providers and patients.

CHA is hosting "Healthcare Reform—Round One: Meaningful Use on September 23, from 8:30-3:30", to provide participants with the most up-to-date and practical information available to take advantage of these incentives. The session will also include a forum to hear the views and ask questions of experts from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, the American Hospital Association, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, and others.

Hospitals are encouraged to bring teams including CFOs, COOs, CIOs, directors of health information management, reimbursement managers, in-house counsel, compliance and risk officers to learn about meaningful use of EHR.

For more information about this education session, click here to view the brochure, or click here to register. Please contact Christine Prestiano at Prestiano@chime.org with any questions.

Hospitals and CHA Meet with HHS Regional Administrator

On Friday, August 13, senior hospital administrators from Bristol Hospital, Eastern Connecticut Health Network, Hartford Hospital, Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center, the Hospital for Special Care, and CHA staff met with Christie Hager, the new Health and Human Services (HHS) Regional Administrator.  Ms. Hager reports directly to Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and has the primary responsibility of implementing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in the New England region.  Ms. Hager will also serve as a conduit to the Secretary’s office for other significant issues hospitals may raise with HHS.

Previously, Ms. Hager was Chief Health Counsel to the Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives during the development, drafting, and first three years of implementation of the 2006 Massachusetts health reform law.  Ms. Hager holds an AB from Smith College, an MPH from the Boston University School of Public Health, and a JD from the University of Connecticut School of Law. 

Ms. Hager indicated that Secretary Sebelius has given clear direction that HHS will provide flexibility in implementing the new law, and stated that she is pleased to have been assigned to New England because of the innovativeness of the healthcare industry and policy makers.